Institute of Modern Russia

Details

Media Must-Reads

The Panama Papers, Putin’s National Guard, and the Double Bureaucracy

2–8 April

Details

08 April 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, Mark Galeotti argues in Vox that the Panama Papers reveal that the real currency in Russia in not money but political power—if you have power, you can always get the money, which makes it difficult to find Vladimir Putin’s complicity in the exposed offshore operations. And Stephen Blank underscores in his op-ed for the American Interest that it is impossible for the West to expect any kind of strategic cooperation with Putin’s regime. Meanwhile, in the Russian media, analysts discuss the duplicity of the Russian governance system and the sudden law-enforcement reform proposed by the president.

Details

Media Must-Reads

Authoritarianism Goes Global, the End of Cheap Oil, and Russian Political Language

26 March – 1 April

Details

01 April 2016

In this week’s Western media highlight, democracy experts Christopher Walker, Marc Plattner, and Larry Diamond discuss in the American Interest the global uprising of authoritarianism, focusing on Russia, China and Iran. And Foreign Policy highlighted this week Russia’s decision to boycott the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C., thus raising concerns among Western security experts. Meanwhile, in the Russian media Mikhail Krutikhin writes that more troubles await the country’s energy industry in the light of low oil prices, while Denis Dragunsky explains how Russia’s vague and ambiguous political language plays in the hands of the Kremlin propaganda.

Details

News

Constitutional Crisis in Russia and How to Resolve It

Details

28 March 2016

Today, there is every indication that Russia is facing an anti-constitutional coup. Power is being concentrated in the hands of unconstitutional authorities who have replaced constitutional institutions. It isn’t clear who Russia is governed by, let alone who controls its people. What are the specifics of the current constitutional crisis? Can the reactionary reforms that have eroded the democratic essence of the Russian Constitution be rolled back? Should a new Constitution be developed? Russia’s leading constitutional law experts Elena Lukyanova, Ilya Shablinsky, and Vladimir Patukhov analyze these and many other crucial issues in a new report entitled “Constitutional Crisis in Russia and How to Resolve It.”

Details

Media Must-Reads

The Kremlin’s Pyrrhic Victory in Syria, How Russians View Corruption, and Five Myths about America Circulated in Russia

19–25 March

Details

25 March 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, Jeffrey Stacey writes in Foreign Affairs that the Kremlin can claim “victory” in Syria, but its decision to pull out was in fact motivated by economic and PR concerns rather than goal achievement. Meanwhile, in Russia’s RBC Daily, analysts dissected the paradoxical ways Russians view corruption—by condemning corruption in the upper echelons of government and finding bribery somewhat acceptable. And in his commentary for Slon.ru, Vladislav Inozemtsev dismantles five common anti-American myths circulated in the Russian media today.

Details

News

“Solved?”: Investigating Boris Nemtsov’s Murder

Details

24 March 2016

Please join the Atlantic Council, the National Endowment for Democracy, the McCain Institute for International Leadership, and the Institute of Modern Russia on Friday, April 1, 2016, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. at the Atlantic Council headquarters (1030 15th St NW, 12th floor, West Tower Elevators), for a panel discussion on the current status of the investigation into the assassination of Boris Nemtsov and the need for international oversight of the investigation.

Details

Economics

Economic Downslide Continues

Details

23 March 2016

Sergey Aleksashenko

In his latest comment on key developments impacting the Russian economy, Sergey Aleksashenko, nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former deputy chairman of the Central Bank of Russia, analyzes the foreign trade dynamics and implementation of the federal budget for January, noting that the general outlook remains grim.

Details

Media Must-Reads

Putin’s Syrian Surprise, A Hollow Superpower, and the Kremlin’s Changing Course

12–18 March

Details

18 March 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, writing for the National Interest, Nicolas Gvosdev offers several explanations for Vladimir Putin’s sudden decision to withdraw Russian troops from Syria. And the Economist’s editorial board argues that “Putin’s foreign policy is born of weakness and made for television.” In the Russian media, Alexander Baunov points out that the pullout should not come as a surprise, since the Kremlin has accomplished all of its major objectives in Syria.

Details

Economics

The Plan of Non-Resistance to the Crisis

Details

14 March 2016

Sergey Aleksashenko

In his latest comment on key developments impacting the Russian economy, Sergey Aleksashenko, nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former deputy chairman of the Central Bank of Russia, analyzes the economic results for January and critiques the anti-crisis plan recently confirmed by the government.

Details

Media Must-Reads

The New Interventionists, Putin’s Surprises, and Why Change in Russia Is Not Possible

5 – 11 March

Details

11 March 2016

In this week’s Western media highlights, Mark Leonard writes in Project Syndicate that the post-Cold War international order is being challenged at several fronts simultaneously by countries like Russia, Iran, China and Saudi Arabia. And Stephen Blank points out in his comment for the Atlantic Council that the West (specifically the U.S. experts and policymakers) fail to fully comprehend Russia’s behavior and its motives. Meanwhile, in the Russian media, Yakov Mirkin continues the debate on the poor state of the Russian economy.

Details

Media Must-Reads

Putin’s Rational Choices, The Chechen Gambit, and Fatal Amnesia

February 27–March 4

Details

04 March 2016

Foreign Affairs that the Kremlin’s incursions into Crimea, eastern Ukraine, and Syria should not come as a surprise, as they were driven by geopolitical interests. In Foreign Policy, Tatia Lemondjava explains the logic behind Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov’s recent announcement that he will resign in April. Meanwhile, in the Russian media, Sergei Medvedev discusses why the national media barely covered two tragedies that shook the Runet (the Russian Internet)—the mining disaster in Vorkuta and the murder of a four-year-old in Moscow.